diff --git a/repos/gems/src/app/sculpt_manager/main.cc b/repos/gems/src/app/sculpt_manager/main.cc
index 2c409c72a1..936e56cc5f 100644
--- a/repos/gems/src/app/sculpt_manager/main.cc
+++ b/repos/gems/src/app/sculpt_manager/main.cc
@@ -1765,12 +1765,6 @@ void Sculpt::Main::_handle_runtime_state()
 		}
 	});
 
-	/*
-	 * Re-attempt NIC-router configuration as the uplink may have become
-	 * available in the meantime.
-	 */
-	_network.reattempt_nic_router_config();
-
 	if (_deploy.update_child_conditions()) {
 		reconfigure_runtime = true;
 		regenerate_dialog   = true;
diff --git a/repos/gems/src/app/sculpt_manager/managed_config.h b/repos/gems/src/app/sculpt_manager/managed_config.h
index 8188c262a5..0122f6b726 100644
--- a/repos/gems/src/app/sculpt_manager/managed_config.h
+++ b/repos/gems/src/app/sculpt_manager/managed_config.h
@@ -68,6 +68,12 @@ struct Sculpt::Managed_config
 		(_obj.*_handle)(_manual_config_rom.xml());
 	}
 
+	template <typename FN>
+	void with_manual_config(FN const &fn) const
+	{
+		fn(_manual_config_rom.xml());
+	}
+
 	/**
 	 * \return true if manually-managed configuration could be used
 	 */
diff --git a/repos/gems/src/app/sculpt_manager/network.cc b/repos/gems/src/app/sculpt_manager/network.cc
index 365a4994f8..e1a6d59046 100644
--- a/repos/gems/src/app/sculpt_manager/network.cc
+++ b/repos/gems/src/app/sculpt_manager/network.cc
@@ -56,16 +56,6 @@ void Sculpt::Network::handle_key_press(Codepoint code)
 
 void Sculpt::Network::_generate_nic_router_config()
 {
-	if ((_nic_target.wired() && !_runtime_info.present_in_runtime("nic_drv"))
-	 || (_nic_target.wifi()  && !_runtime_info.present_in_runtime("wifi_drv"))) {
-
-		/* defer NIC router reconfiguration until the needed uplink is present */
-		_nic_router_config_up_to_date = false;
-		return;
-	}
-
-	_nic_router_config_up_to_date = true;
-
 	if (_nic_router_config.try_generate_manually_managed())
 		return;
 
@@ -164,50 +154,43 @@ void Sculpt::Network::_handle_nic_router_state()
 }
 
 
-void Sculpt::Network::_handle_nic_router_config(Xml_node config)
+void Sculpt::Network::_update_nic_target_from_config(Xml_node const &config)
 {
-	Nic_target::Type target = _nic_target.managed_type;
-
 	_nic_target.policy = config.has_type("empty")
 	                   ? Nic_target::MANAGED : Nic_target::MANUAL;
 
-	if (_nic_target.manual()) {
-
-		/* obtain uplink information from configuration */
-		target = Nic_target::LOCAL;
-
+	/* obtain uplink information from configuration */
+	auto nic_target_from_config = [] (Xml_node const &config)
+	{
 		if (!config.has_sub_node("domain"))
-			target = Nic_target::OFF;
+			return Nic_target::OFF;
 
-		struct Break : Exception { };
-		try {
-			config.for_each_sub_node("domain", [&] (Xml_node domain) {
+		Nic_target::Type result = Nic_target::LOCAL;
 
-				/* skip domains that are not called "uplink" */
-				if (domain.attribute_value("name", String<16>()) != "uplink")
-					return;
+		config.for_each_sub_node("policy", [&] (Xml_node uplink) {
 
-				config.for_each_sub_node("policy", [&] (Xml_node uplink) {
+			/* skip uplinks not assigned to a domain called "uplink" */
+			if (uplink.attribute_value("domain", String<16>()) != "uplink")
+				return;
 
-					/* skip uplinks not assigned to a domain called "uplink" */
-					if (uplink.attribute_value("domain", String<16>()) != "uplink")
-						return;
+			if (uplink.attribute_value("label", String<16>()) == "nic_drv -> ")
+				result = Nic_target::WIRED;
 
-					if (uplink.attribute_value("label", String<16>()) == "nic_drv -> ") {
-						target = Nic_target::WIRED;
-						throw Break();
-					}
-					if (uplink.attribute_value("label", String<16>()) == "wifi_drv -> ") {
-						target = Nic_target::WIFI;
-						throw Break();
-					}
-				});
-			});
-		} catch (Break) { }
-		_nic_target.manual_type = target;
-	}
+			if (uplink.attribute_value("label", String<16>()) == "wifi_drv -> ")
+				result = Nic_target::WIFI;
+		});
+		return result;
+	};
 
-	nic_target(target);
+	if (_nic_target.manual())
+		_nic_target.manual_type = nic_target_from_config(config);
+}
+
+
+
+void Sculpt::Network::_handle_nic_router_config(Xml_node config)
+{
+	_update_nic_target_from_config(config);
 	_generate_nic_router_config();
 	_runtime_config_generator.generate_runtime_config();
 	_menu_view.generate();
@@ -241,11 +224,9 @@ void Sculpt::Network::gen_runtime_start_nodes(Xml_generator &xml) const
 		break;
 
 	case Nic_target::OFF:
-
 		break;
 
 	case Nic_target::UNDEFINED:
-
 		break;
 	}
 }
diff --git a/repos/gems/src/app/sculpt_manager/network.h b/repos/gems/src/app/sculpt_manager/network.h
index 1eb41732e3..fd22886512 100644
--- a/repos/gems/src/app/sculpt_manager/network.h
+++ b/repos/gems/src/app/sculpt_manager/network.h
@@ -47,8 +47,6 @@ struct Sculpt::Network : Network_dialog::Action
 	Nic_target _nic_target { };
 	Nic_state  _nic_state  { };
 
-	bool _nic_router_config_up_to_date = false;
-
 	Wpa_passphrase wpa_passphrase { };
 
 	unsigned _nic_drv_version = 0;
@@ -135,11 +133,7 @@ struct Sculpt::Network : Network_dialog::Action
 			wifi_disconnect();
 	}
 
-	void reattempt_nic_router_config()
-	{
-		if (_nic_target.nic_router_needed() && !_nic_router_config_up_to_date)
-			_generate_nic_router_config();
-	}
+	void _update_nic_target_from_config(Xml_node const &);
 
 	/**
 	 * Network_dialog::Action interface
@@ -235,14 +229,21 @@ struct Sculpt::Network : Network_dialog::Action
 		_runtime_config_generator(runtime_config_generator),
 		_runtime_info(runtime_info), _pci_info(pci_info)
 	{
-		_generate_nic_router_config();
-
 		/*
 		 * Subscribe to reports
 		 */
 		_wlan_accesspoints_rom.sigh(_wlan_accesspoints_handler);
 		_wlan_state_rom       .sigh(_wlan_state_handler);
 		_nic_router_state_rom .sigh(_nic_router_state_handler);
+
+		/*
+		 * Evaluate and forward initial manually managed config
+		 */
+		_nic_router_config.with_manual_config([&] (Xml_node const &config) {
+			_update_nic_target_from_config(config); });
+
+		if (_nic_target.manual())
+			_generate_nic_router_config();
 	}
 };